Prosecutors: No special treatment for chamber president

Published: Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at 09:22 PM.

PANAMA CITY BEACH — A theft charge against the president of the Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce was quietly dismissed Tuesday without her ever appearing in court.

Prosecutors said Wednesday that Elizabeth Oltman did not receive special treatment when a retail theft charge for allegedly stealing two $5 candy bars was dismissed in lieu of a “judicial warning.” The assistant state attorney who handled the case said he did not know who Oltman was until the end of his workday Tuesday, but knowing who she was wouldn’t have changed his approach to the prosecution.

“I treated it just like every other case,” prosecutor Matthew Pavese said.

The phrase “judicial warning” might imply Oltman was warned by a judge, but that never happened. Instead, Pavese told Oltman’s attorney to warn her, Pavese said.

“I can’t say there’s much credence to that,” Pavese said Wednesday in response to an assertion that some people might suspect Oltman had received favorable treatment because of her position.

Oltman was issued a notice to appear on Memorial Day after she was spotted by loss prevention specialists at Dillard’s in Panama City Beach leaving the store with a candy bar for which she had not paid. Police reports indicate she ate another candy bar that she didn’t pay for in the store.

Pavese said there were discrepancies between the police report and the store’s surveillance footage of the incident.

PANAMA CITY BEACH — A theft charge against the president of the Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce was quietly dismissed Tuesday without her ever appearing in court.

Prosecutors said Wednesday that Elizabeth Oltman did not receive special treatment when a retail theft charge for allegedly stealing two $5 candy bars was dismissed in lieu of a “judicial warning.” The assistant state attorney who handled the case said he did not know who Oltman was until the end of his workday Tuesday, but knowing who she was wouldn’t have changed his approach to the prosecution.

“I treated it just like every other case,” prosecutor Matthew Pavese said.

The phrase “judicial warning” might imply Oltman was warned by a judge, but that never happened. Instead, Pavese told Oltman’s attorney to warn her, Pavese said.

“I can’t say there’s much credence to that,” Pavese said Wednesday in response to an assertion that some people might suspect Oltman had received favorable treatment because of her position.

Oltman was issued a notice to appear on Memorial Day after she was spotted by loss prevention specialists at Dillard’s in Panama City Beach leaving the store with a candy bar for which she had not paid. Police reports indicate she ate another candy bar that she didn’t pay for in the store.

Pavese said there were discrepancies between the police report and the store’s surveillance footage of the incident.

Felony chief Greg Wilson, who looked over the case file and the footage after the State Attorney’s Office started getting calls from reporters and law enforcement officials about the dismissal, said it would have been difficult to establish that Oltman intended to steal the candy bars. Intent is an element a prosecutor would need to establish to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, Pavese said.

“I watched the video and I’m like, ‘I’m not going to be able to prove this at trial,’ ” Pavese said.

Oltman, who has called the incident “a misunderstanding,” didn’t return calls seeking comment Thursday. Calls to Dillard’s management were not returned.

Oltman is still barred from the store. It’s not clear if she ever paid for the candy bars.